In an age of mushrooming technology and scientific innovation, it is ironic that one of man's oldest problems is becoming increasingly acute. The collection and disposal of modern waste products is a monumental task. Moreover, technological change has produced affluent throwaway societies in many of the industralized countries of the world. It is becoming apparant that one of the major impacts of technological development is a significant increase in the generation of solid wastes. Today in the United States, solid waste management is a national problem of considerable magnitude. The severity of the problem has caused a considerable amount of attention to be directed and focused on the improvement of solid waste management techniques. The United States Congress has passed legislation dealing with the problem under which research funds are available from the federal government for basic investigations of solid waste generation and management.
Typical waste disposal has been conventionally carried out according to one of three basic methods: sanitary landfill, incineration, or composting. Sanitary landfilling, permanently placing refuse under maximum density in the earth with daily ground cover, is the predominant method whenever sufficient land is available at low cost near the sources of waste generations.
The present invention is concerned with the handling of the waste material prior to its transportation to a landfill site. To most economically handle waste, it typically must be compacted or densified to reduce the volume of the attendant waste. Volume reduction, or densification of waste prior to landfilling, has been practiced in several different ways in this country up to the present time. First, waste or refuse has been compacted at the source in stationary compactors or in compactor vehicles. Such compaction significantly increases the efficiency of the collection procedure, yielding higher truck loads and lower transportation rates. Secondly, compaction of collected waste has been practiced at control locations, i.e. in transfer stations where collected waste is placed in high-energy compactors and compacted or pushed into special truck bodies which are then moved to the final deposition site. The high pressure stationary compactors being employed at the present time in transfer station operations achieve very high densities of the compacted waste. Stationary compactors can provide volume reductions from 2:1 to 20:1 depending upon the nature of the waste material. Compaction serves several purposes in addition to reducing the trips to a disposal area. Mixed refuse, for example, can be accommodated without difficulty. It is possible to mix corrugated boxes, for example, with cans, bottles, broken pallets, even partially filled liquid containers providing there is a sufficient quantity of paper to absorb the liquid.
Using a compactor also can reduce the labor required for refuse handling. In many operations, a cycle time of less than a minute, combined with pushbutton controls, permits one man operation. Fast handling means functions to militate against an accumulation of waste or trash in work areas.
Compactor usage may even improve the appearance of an industrial site. Space previously required for the storage of loose trash can be freed for other uses.
Compactor capacity typically depends upon the size and volume of the waste generated and the space available for the installation. Manifestly, the larger the storage container, the easier it is to load. Larger containers also have to be emptied and placed with less frequency. Selection of a particular size and shape depends primarily on the intended application. Such containers should typically be enclosed, fire resistant, sturdy enough for prolonged use, and compatible with the storage area and available haulage vehicles.
Rectangular containers are generally employed because they are more readily fabricated than cylindrical styles. Compacted material in containers, whether they be rectangular or cylindrical in shape, may, in certain instances, include voids since compaction is difficult to achieve unless sufficient compacting forces are applied. Of course, such voids are costly to the users as dumping fees and the resultant hauler's charges are based upon the capacity of the container whether it is filled to capacity or not.